Ami of Iscariot
by FlamingWolf
Summary: After a rescue from Mamoru, Ami finds herself confronting feelings she never knew she had.


Ami closed her textbook with a sigh. She was beginning to feel that her friends may be a bigger influence on her studies than she was on theirs. She had completed her assignment- well before the others- but she somehow didn't feel that she was exactly thrilled by this prospect. Actually having to take her entrance exams this spring, she found that her nervousness was overcoming her. She was starting to feel that even homework was too big of a strain when combined with her other duties these days. More and more she found that she wanted nothing more than to just read a book to relax, rather than actually trying to improve herself.

_Is this what they mean by examination hell?_ She wondered.

"Ami!" Mokoto said, a frustrated note to her voice as she noticed that the Girl Genius had finished her work. "How can you possibly be done already? This Patagonian Theorem stuff is making my brain explode!"

Ami suppressed a chuckle. "Mokoto-chan, Patagonia is in South America. I think you mean, Pythagorean."

"Yeah, that," Mokoto was balancing her pencil between her upper lip and her nose as she frowned at her math book. Though she wasn't as hopeless as the two blond girls in the room, she wasn't exactly thrilled to be studying the subject either.

Ami sighed. "This is how you do it," She explained for the fifteenth time, leaning in and jotting numbers and symbols with her pencil. Mokoto's eyes widened as she watched.

"Ohhhh! I've got it now!" She exclaimed for the fifteenth time. Minako looked up, laying her pen across her composition notebook.

"Do you need my calculator?" She offered, reaching down and moving a sleeping Artemis from her bookbag so that she could look through it.

"No, I told you I understood it now!" The taller girl answered, looking injured. Ami looked around the room to hide her smile. Usagi and Rei were in the midst of a face-making contest, this time over the fact that Usagi had been sleeping, and Rei had fallen over her when stretching way over to look out into the yard where Kumada was doing chores.

"I wish they would grow up," Minako said, putting Artemis in her lap and stroking him. He purred and rolled over, giving his 'kitten' access to rub his belly.

"You stay out of it!" Rei snapped as Usagi burst into tears. Ami realized that it was lucky she had finished her homework- there wouldn't be enough peace to work again for the rest of the day.

Suddenly, both Minako and the fiery-tempered priestess froze in place, staring off into space. Mokoto, recognizing the symptoms, began to pack her books back into her own bag, silently relieved that she was off the homework hook for the moment. Usagi was oblivious, having found on of Rei's manga shoved partway under the _kotatsu_, but Ami asked, concerned,

"What is it?"

An explosion rocked the ground, sending all of the girls face first onto the floor. Luna sat up, her ears pricked forward as she listened, while Artemis yowled a protest and accidentally clawed Minako as he scrambled to his feet.

"There's your answer! Let's go!" Mokoto said. The girls glanced at each other, nodded once in unison, and transformed.

Seconds later, a concerned Shinto priest-in-training entered the room. He blinked and looked around at the mess- overturned snacks and drinks, books scattered everywhere, and a couple of forgotten jackets left on various surfaces. He winced at the sight and began to clean up. He had no idea where they had gone this time- though he was starting to get his suspicions. Right or wrong, if Rei-san saw this when she returned, he was going have to face another broom of doom.

*&*

Meanwhile, a district and a half away, the senshi were met with a surprise- a youma bent over a young girl whom they recognized very well.

"Naru!" Moon and Mercury gasped.

"I swear, she's the energy food-source of choice for the minions of Chaos. We could make a killing selling her energy." Venus growled disgustedly. Jupiter sent a glare her direction.

"Can we just DO something?" Mercury asked. "Mercury Aqua Rhapsody!"

Contemptuously, the youma held up an umbrella and the streams of water-energy shot back at the senshi, knocking her to the ground. Venus and Moon rushed to her side, as Jupiter and Mars took defensive positions in front of them.

"I'm fine! Finish it off!" Mercury gasped, trying to regain her footing. Venus steadied her as Sailor Moon turned back to face the youma.

"You've got it! Moon Gorgeous Meditation!"

"Was that supposed to do something?" The youma asked mildly. "Maybe I can instruct your remaining teammates how to fight, moon-ditz! Too bad you won't be here to benefit!"

"Sailor Moon!" Mercury screamed, shoving Venus aside. She body-slammed Sailor Moon out of the way, as the dark blade made of energy shot out of the youma's hands. She half turned, ready to block it, but the attack was much faster than she anticipated. She flew backwards, and Jupiter lunged to catch her. While this kept Sailor Mercury from cracking her head on the pavement, the blood from the wound to her neck was already flowing too freely.

"NO!" Mars yelled. She turned to lunge at the youma, but Venus leaped in front of her.

"Not that way! Our powers don't work!" She said.

"What do you want me to do? Box with it?" Mars snarled. Venus didn't bother to answer, but yanked off her chain belt. She snapped it once, and then charged the youma. As she expected, the monster stepped aside, and Venus cracked it out and around the youma's ankle. She slid to a halt, her feet going out from underneath her as the chain jerked her up short. Ignoring the bruises, she channeled all her energy along the length of the weapon. "Help me!" She gasped.

The others saw what she meant. Mars and Jupiter grabbed the chain just above her hands as the youma thrashed, complementing her light energy with fire and thunder. Their hands stung and burned as foreign power washed over their grip, but the youma screamed.

"Sailor Moon!" Jupiter cried out. Moon, who was trying to help Ami, looked uncertain, but joined them. The youma stiffened and incandesced. With a final shriek, it was gone.

"I've got her. Sorry I wasn't here earlier to help," Came a masculine voice from behind them. They turned to see Tuxedo Kamen holding Ami. He turned and jumped to a tree limb, and from there took to the sky, flying Ami towards the hospital as fast as he could.

"We'll catch the bus and meet you there!" Mars called after him. The four senshi grimly detransformed and ran for the bus stop.

*&*

The smells and sounds of the hospital invaded Ami's senses before she even opened her eyes. She had grown up around hospitals because of her mother's job, and she knew the signs well. She sighed and opened her eyes to see a nurse bending over the IV console. A tube ran from her arm to a bag of blood.

"Nurse, what's going on?" Ami asked, relieved that there was someone there to answer her questions. "How badly am I hurt?"

"Ah, Mizuno-san. It's good to see you awake. You are very fortunate that the young man who brought you in was so fast in his thinking-"

"How is she?" Mamoru's voice came quietly but urgently from the hallway.

"She's awake, but she still needs her rest, Chiba-san," The nurse answered. Leaning over to Ami, she confided in a whisper, "Your boyfriend hasn't left your side since he brought you in two days ago!"

"Oh, no!" Ami blushed. "No, really, he's not my-" She broke off, still flushed as Mamoru walked in. He smiled at her, and her blush deepened further. She pulled the hospital bedsheet nearly to her chin.

"Do you have the blood to do that?" Mamoru asked, teasing her gently as he did most of the senshi. "I'm glad to see you looking so much better."

"Yes, umm," She noticed the nurse leaving the room and wished that she weren't alone with the handsome young man. "Umm, thank you. If you hadn't gotten me here-"

"I did what was necessary," He answered, looking slightly embarrassed in his turn.

"No, you probably saved my life!" Ami protested. She looked at him leaning over the bed. He smoothed the blankets, and poured a glass of water, setting it in easy reach as he tried to avoid looking at her. Finding nothing else he could fiddle with, he looked back at her. As their eyes met, she drew in a soft breath. He was so kind, so caring... he had saved her. He was also the most intelligent man she had ever met. Also, the most handsome.

In a word, ideal.

"Mamoru..." She said. She couldn't think of what else she had wanted to say. "Thank you. I-"

In a rush, before she could take them back, the words slipped out. "I care for you. A great deal."

"Ami..." He said. He was flabbergasted. He had never expected to hear that from her. Awkwardly, he leaned down to hug her, and suddenly found that instead, their lips had met. They clung to each other as best as they could around the medical paraphernalia.

The sound of footsteps in the hall brought them crashing back to reality. He pulled back and seated himself in the chair as the other four came in.

"Oh, Ami!" Usagi trilled. "I'm so glad you're OK! As soon as you get better, we should all go out and eat to celebrate!"

Rei and Mokoto added their own wishes for her health. Behind them, Minako lifted her chin, looking at the three most involved. She let the chatter die down, and then said,

"Rei, Mako... we should let them be alone for a little while. Let's go down to the guest shop and get some tea."

"Mina-chan, are you..." Whatever Rei was going to say was cut off by the door closing behind the three of them. Ami found herself feeling most ashamed. Obviously, the Goddess of Love knew what had just transpired.

Usagi looked confused. "Oh, um, maybe just the three of us, then!" She said, trying to get over whatever awkwardness had just transpired that she had missed.

"No, thank you. You and Mamoru should go together. Alone." Ami answered, not meeting Usagi's eyes.

"I'm sorry," Mamoru said. Like the gentleman he was, he took the complete responsibility for what had just happened. He turned to lead Usagi away, but at the door, he glanced back. "Ami... I'll be your knight protector whenever you need me to." He said, and closed the door behind him- but not fast enough to keep Ami from seeing Usagi take his arm.

Her mind kept replaying that scene for the rest of the day. Remembering his kiss- and remembering seeing her best friend taking his arm. Ami closed her eyes, and prayed for sleep.

The pillow was soaked even as she dreamed.


End file.
